No Lonely Moments For The 47 Members Of Easton Area Club

Moving to a new community sometimes has its lonely moments. But with the Easton Area Newcomers' Club, no one need feel like a stranger in town for very long.

Since 1963, the club, which serves women in the Easton and Phillipsburgareas , has been assisting recent arrivals in making friends and joining in a variety of activities.

President Adrienne Fisher explains just who is considered a newcomer and who may join. She says women may become members if they have not lived in the area for more than two years or if they have returned after an absence of four years or more. Participants may be active members - holding office, chairing committees - for the first four years they belong. After that they become associate members, having all privileges except for those just mentioned.

"The purpose is to get members active and involved in their first four years," says Fisher, "That's the purpose - to get involved and to get to know people."

Following this September's welcoming tea, the club has 47 members, just 10 of those associate members. The group meets at 8 p.m. the third Monday of each month at the Merchants Bank, Palmer Branch, 25th and Northampton streets.

In addition to monthly meetings, the club has one monthly social event with husbands invited. Events have included a hay ride, bus tour of historic Bethlehem, cocktail party, ski and skate party, progressive dinner, dinner theater and more.

Several clubs exist within the club, such as women's bridge two evenings a month, the lunch bunch which meets monthly in a restaurant, couples pinochle one Saturday night a month, the koffee klatch two mornings a month where babies and preschool children are welcome too and a craft group.

Members receive a monthly newsletter that lists all the happenings and who's in charge. "You can be as busy as you want," Fisher says.

She stresses that most activities are relatively inexpensive and that the group is informal. "We're just very low-keyed," she says, "You don't have to get all decked out."

Fisher also says everyone pitches in for most special events, with a hostess providing coffee and dessert and guests taking hors d'oeuvres. "It's not too much work on any one person," she says, "We don't get that fancy." She says the group's approach to get-togethers means no one needs "to be afraid they've got to put out a spread."

One interesting club within the club is the gourmet club which meets four times a year. With approximately 20 couples participating, each couple hosts one of the four dinners. Three other couples are guests of that couple.

The gourmet club plans menus and recipes with special themes such as Milwaukee German Fest, Atlanta Plantation Dinner, Kansas City Barbecue and San Francisco Seafood Night this year for example. Since everyone is making the same recipes, couples may call each other for preparation tips and reassurance.

At each dinner, different couples are grouped together, so the club ends up getting to know quite a few new faces. "This is a nice way of getting to know three other couples in an evening," Fisher says.

Everyone shares in the costs of the meals, about $15 to $22 per couple. The hosts provide the wine and main course, while the guests take vegetables, desserts and other fare.

"The nice part about it," Fisher adds, "is you have the recipes when you're done."

Members of the Newcomers' Club have moved to the area from as nearby as Hackettstown and Washington, N.J., and from as far away as Australia, Belgium and California. Although the group does limited publicity, many of its members are invited by their neighbors. "It's just kind of been word of mouth," Fisher says.

Beside being a social group for women new to the area, Fisher says the club als is a "support group." She explains: "We all have a common bond - coming from some place else andbeing away from family and friends."

She continues, "It's what you want to make out of it. Some people have made life long friends." In one instance, Fisher says, "One girl was even a labor partner for another when her husband wasn't there."

Other officers of this year's club are Sharon Roehrig, vice president; Arlene Schmidt, secretary, and Debbie Dunbar, treasurer.